GRBL CNC

[Lee]

I bought a 3018 CNC Router on Prime Day. Slowly been fiddling with it.

I've made some chips, but I need some more training and/or trouble shooting.

The manufacturer recommended Easel, they contact you post purchase and provide a .PDF for Easel instructions and settings for their router. I really didn't care much for it before my 30 day trial expired, sure don't like it enough to give them money. Any suggestions for alternatives?

I'm pretty well versed in FreeCAD at this point and their CAM software talks to GRBL, its GUI isn't pretty and there's a lot of steps though.

Going down the Reddit rabbit hole it looks like CNC 3D Commander may be the ticket.

I thought I'd finally be making stuff today. I'm on a real struggle bus. I don't know if it's software or hardware. I REALLY don't like Easel, especially now that my free trial is done. The only thing it does pretty well is image trace, turning uploaded .JPEGs into a file you can cut, and providing an alleged preview of your cut. I can draw something and make it cut, but it ignores some significant steps. Instead of making incremental cuts to depth, it plunges to full depth. Then if it raises the spindle from cut to cut, it doesn't raise it enough, instead cutting the entire tool path, including transitions. The vendor has been top notch from customer service stand point so far, but English is not their first language. They like to send you free stuff as an apology instead of fixing an issue. I like free stuff as much as the next guy, but I want this thing working.

Anyone have any recommendations on alternative software for GRBL control?

When I told the vendor I didn't like Easel, especially didn't like that it's web based, requiring an internet connection to use, they recommended Candle.

I know we've had a handful of GRBL and CNC router threads over the years. I thought I'd see if y'all had any better recommendations.

 

[bgaidan]

I have a pretty good sized router that I've owned for 5-6 years and have only run a few test parts on it. It's on Mach3 though and I was using Fusion when I had a license. Now that my Fusion license expired and I'm having a hard time justifying the $600/year to renew it, I'm also looking for CAD/CAM alternatives. I'd really like something that can handle 3 axis on my LinuxCNC mill and Fadal mill along with the router and possibly a future plasma.


Or I just need to pick up enough work to justify the Fusion license again...

 

[Lee]

I have a pretty good sized router that I've owned for 5-6 years and have only run a few test parts on it. It's on Mach3 though and I was using Fusion when I had a license. Now that my Fusion license expired and I'm having a hard time justifying the $600/year to renew it, I'm also looking for CAD/CAM alternatives. I'd really like something that can handle 3 axis on my LinuxCNC mill and Fadal mill along with the router and possibly a future plasma.


Or I just need to pick up enough work to justify the Fusion license again...

FreeCAD: Your own 3D parametric modeler

FreeCAD, the open source 3D parametric modeler

www.freecad.org

The pre release candidate of V 0.22 is out right now. It's been updated to the point that the full release will be called FreeCAD V1.0, should be out of beta in a few weeks.

I think you'll be happy with it, especially wen V1.0 when it comes out. I said it recently in another CAD thread, when V1.0 is available to the masses, it's going to make Autodesk and Dassault think about some of their pricing structuring and "Maker" "Hobby" options. A lot of the clunkiness that have really hobbled it from mainstream use have been fixed for V1.0.

There's a sizable global community for the software and it's FREE. It's built on the Open Cascade Kernel, it's not just some sweaty nerds passion project in his mom's basement. It's a big group of nerds with real jobs.

 

[Lee]

bgaidan look at Alibre Workshop if you're looking to spend money. I was headed down that path until I found out FreeCAD V1.0 was coming soon.

Alibre Workshop | Design & Mill Your Projects It's a perpetual license, no "software as a service" BS. Only pay for future version updates if you want them. The way it should be.

 

[Lsxdowant]

Is Bobcad still around?

 

[Lee]

Is Bobcad still around?

I'll stick a lit Roman candle in my ear before I ever use that garbage again.

I got hired to be the CAD monkey and run a CNC plasma table at a start-up that had just had the misfortune of being talked into purchasing a BobCAD license before they hired me. I think their Airgas guy got a kick-back for selling that to unsuspecting wannabe CNC shops.

Absolute garbage. I wish I could remember the details, I think I documented the saga at the old place it's been 13+ years ago. I recall them blatantly lying to us, and serious over promise and under deliver.

I wound up using my personal license of Autocad LT for 2D stuff until I convinced the boss to get Solidworks.

It took me getting a "Russian" version of Solidworks on the high seas, and showing the boss what I could do with it first.

 

[cervelorod]

Best thing I did with my Maker cnc router was rewire it with a Gecko 540 and use QCAD, Sheetcam, and Mach3. I don’t need 3D and never learned how to design in 3D, so my old school 3 view drawings work very well with this setup!

 

[Lee]

It's Easel.

I had measured my Z probe thickness, changed the Easel probe settings to inches, because that's what I work in, and input the Z probe thickness.

Messing around I quadruple checked my Z probe settings and randomly swapped from in to mm and back to in. When I switched back to in it was WAY off, almost an inch off.

Input the Z probe thickness in mm, saved everything, and it appears to do what I tell it to now. I still don't like Easel but I'm stubborn and wasn't going to let it beat me.